INSTRUCTIONS

Pat chicken thighs very dry with paper towels. Sprinkle over them the flour, salt and pepper.

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or skillet set over medium-high heat. When the butter foams, cook the chicken, in batches if necessary, until well browned and crisp on all sides. Set Chicano aside on a plate.

In the same pot, add the whole shallots to the pot and sauté them in the butter and chicken fat until they begin to soften and caramelize, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Skim off all but 3 tablespoons of the fat. Add the wine to deglaze the pot, whisk any brown bits off the bottom, then whisk in the mustard. Add the sprigs of tarragon and the chicken thighs to the pot. Cover the pot, turn the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the lid, and allow the sauce to reduce and thicken, 15 minutes. Or add a little tapioca flour mixed with water to tighten up the sauce quickly.

Add the cherry tomatoes to the pot, stir lightly to combine and serve immediately.

The best thing about this recipe… I was able to get every last ingredient at Trader Joe’s. The onions take some patience, but well worth the wait. It’s impossible for anything topped with cheese & crème fraîche to be anything but delicious.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 450° F. Toss butternut squash with olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt and spread out on baking sheet. Bake until browned and very soft, stirring once, about 20 minutes.

Reduce oven heat to 375°. On a lightly floured surface roll out store bought pie crust into a 12-inch round. Fit dough into an 11” tart pan with a removable fluted rim. Prick all over with a fork. Freeze pastry shell 20 minutes.

Line pastry shell with foil and fill with pie weights or raw rice. Bake shell in middle of oven until edge is pale golden, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights or rice and bake shell 10 minutes more, or until bottom is golden. Leave oven on. Cool shell in pan on a rack.

On a recent trip to Porto, Portugal I frequented a 16th century chapel turned into a beautiful wine bar, Capela Incomum. The name means “uncommon chapel”. It’s perfectly situated at the bottom of a hill on a cobblestone street in the Cedofeita neighborhood. They have a wide selection of Portuguese wines and ports by the bottle or glass. On the menu of small plates to enjoy with your wine, was pumpkin bruschetta. Intrigued, I ordered and have been obsessed since.

Doce de Abóbora (Pumpkin Preserve) is plentiful across Portugal and traditionally eaten on toast with cream cheese for breakfast. They also pair it often with walnuts and queijo de cabra, a hard goat milks cheese from the region.

You can’t find this jam in the US and I needed a fix, so I made some. If I shared a jar with you keep it in the refrigerator for 2-3 months. See recipe below for how to prepare the bruschetta. Open a nice bottle of red wine and enjoy!

It’s Christmas Eve, New Years Eve, Dinner party worthy. Or stay in your PJs on a cold day and eat it all yourself worthy.

Be prepared, this isn’t a quick meal. I always make it the day before and finish it the next day. Or I start it in the morning and finish it right before dinner. It gives time for those flavors to develop.

This recipe has been through years of tweaks and it’s now My best Beef Bourguignon.

There are a few secret weapons to share and they can all be kept in the pantry.

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.

Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven. Dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. In batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown on both sides. Remove the seared cubes to a plate until all the beef is browned. Set aside.

Add the onions, carrots, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper in the fat in the pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned.

Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Turn the heat down and carefully add the Cognac. Cook for a few minutes until the onions have absorbed a good amount of the cognac.

Add the tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes. Put the meat back into the pot with the juices from the plate.

Add the bottle of wine plus 6 cups of beef broth to cover the meat. Stir 1/2 container of demi-glace.

Add thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and place it in the oven for about 2 hours or until the meat and vegetables are very tender when pierced with a fork.

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In the meantime, prep the fresh pearl onions. Bring a pot of water to boil and blanch the onions for 2 minutes. Drain onions in a colander and use a small paring knife to remove the skins. The slight blanch makes this easier! Set aside. (If making ahead, store in a plastic bag in the fridge). If using frozen, skip all together and add onions as stated below.

Remove the stew from the oven when meat is tender. (This is where I let it come to room temp & place in the refrigerator overnight, as it’s always better the next day. If you are making and serving same day, pick up below.)

With a slotted spoon, remove large onion pieces, carrots, thyme and bay leaves. They were simply being used to develop the broth. Now they are cooked to death. Get rid of them, we are adding new ones next.

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Place dutch oven on burner on medium heat and let come to a simmer slowly.

Saute the mushrooms and carrots in 2 tablespoons of butter for 10 minutes until lightly browned and then add to the stew.

Add the pearl onions.

Combine 4 tablespoons of arrowroot flour and 1/4 cup beef broth or water and combine until a paste forms. Stir into the stew to thicken. Bring the stew to a boil on top of the stove, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste.

This recipe is for the butternut squash lover. The sweetness from the squash with the spicy sausage and crunch from the walnuts, is the perfect combination of textures and flavors. Goat cheese on top, would also be a tasty addition.

Welsh rarebit… there is nothing quite like it. My introduction to this decadent dish was years ago at a pub just over the Oklahoma border in Kansas.

Fast forward 14 years and chef Fergus Henderson, of the infamous St John Bar & Restaurant in London, is on my ever-growing list of must haves.

Initially, I was only after one thing…. roasted bone marrow. But then I hear…. “Welsh rarebit to start?”… from the angel in white standing next to my table. You can’t pass on the opportunity to devour, what has to be, the best thing on sliced bread: beer and cheese.

I walked in and out with the same thoughts… this place is perfection: the ambience, the food, the wine, the patrons.

Fergus, I’ll be back for more. Until then, I’m surviving winter with my best rendition and a nice glass of red wine.

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

Melt the butter in a pan, stir in the flour, and let this cook together until it smells biscuity but is not browning. Add the mustard powder and cayenne pepper, stir in the beer and Worcestershire sauce, then gently melt in the cheese.

When it’s all of one consistency, remove from the heat, pour out into a shallow container and allow to set. You can keep in the fridge for a few days at this point.

In a cast iron skillet, butter one side of bread and cook util toasted on one side – 2-3 minutes.

Spread cheese mixture generously on un-toasted side of bread. Place bread slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and broil for for 2-3 minutes on the middle oven rack. Eat when bubbling golden brown.

Today will be the 4th time I’ve made this soup since Fall arrived. Can’t get enough of it!! It’s incredibly flavorful and guilt free at 380 calories per serving.

Sometimes I puree it completely and sometimes I leave some cauliflower bits in the soup. It’s perfect either way. The vinegar on top should not be skipped :).

Recipe adapted from Food52.com

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds cauliflower (from 1 medium head)

1/2 to 1 teaspoons ground cumin, or to taste

1/2 tablespoon smoked paprika

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil (plus extra for roasting)

1 large yellow onion, chopped

4 large garlic cloves, minced

1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (1/2 is nice & spicy)

8 cups chicken stock

1/2 pound smoked turkey kielbasa, sliced

1/2 bag Tuscan Kale, shredded (I like more so I use 3/4 of the bag)

1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 lemon, juiced

Sherry Vinegar, for drizzling

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 F. Slice the cauliflower into large slices and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Season cauliflower with cumin, smoked paprika, and liberal amounts of salt, pepper, and olive oil. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes. Set aside once cooked.

Sauté the onion in 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-medium high heat until tender and translucent and beginning to brown. Add garlic and pepper flakes and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cauliflower and stock and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about an hour. Remove from heat and purée.

In a skillet, brown sliced kielbasa and set aside.

Return the puréed soup to low heat. Add the kale and sausage and simmer another 10 – 15 minutes until the greens soften a bit. Remove from a drizzle of olive oil & sherry vinegar.

I can’t seem to satisfy my cravings for Asian food!! One of my favorites is Pad Thai with just about anything in it and on the spicy side. This recipe is fabulous and not nearly as oily as most restaurant versions.

Palm sugar can be found at most Asian grocery stores. Light brown sugar is a great substitute.

Try chicken or tofu if you don’t have shrimp!

Don’t oversoak the noodles – you want them to have bite so they can absorb the sauce when cooked.

Recipe adapted from Food52.com

INGREDIENTS

3 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

3 tablespoons palm sugar or brown sugar

4 tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil

2 tablespoons tamarind concentrate

8 ounces dried wide rice noodles

2 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 shallot, minced

3 thai chilies whole

6 green onions, sliced 1 inch long

2 cups bean sprouts

small handful peanuts, chopped

small handful cilantro, chopped

lime wedges

DIRECTIONS

In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, rice vinegar, sugar, 2 tablespoons oil, and tamarind concentrate. Stir until sugar is dissolved and set aside.

Soak the rice noodles in hot tap water for about 20 minutes, or until they start to soften but not fully tender. Drain and set aside.

Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt in a small bowl and set aside.

In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil under high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, or until the shrimp start to turn pink with browned edges. Remove shrimp and set aside.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to skillet. Add garlic, shallot and thai chilies. Cook over medium heat and stir continuously for about 1 minute. Add eggs to skillet and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until scrambled, about 30 seconds. Add the rice noodles and green onions and toss with tongs to combine. Pour the tamarind/fish sauce mixture over the noodles and increase the heat to high, continuing to toss the ingredients with the sauce.

Add 1/2 of the chopped peanuts and cooked shrimp. Toss noodles for about 2 more minutes. Add bean sprouts and cook for 30 seconds. Dish out onto hot plates and top with remaining peanuts and garnish with cilantro.

I haven’t exactly been “burger free” since my last post… but this salad is satisfying, packed with nutrition & proves healthy food can taste almost better than a burger. It’s also gluten free & vegetarian.

I’ve never made a quinoa salad but I’ve tasted plenty. The good ones seem to have very flavorful dressings, texture and the right balance of savory and sweet. This recipe has a Mediterranean flair and minus the olives is very similar to a greek salad. I threw in some dried sour cherries but feel free to use any dried cherry, cranberry or craisin.

DIRECTIONS

In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa with 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender, about 17 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork and let cool slightly.

In a small bowl, whisk olive oil with lime juice, vinegar & agave nectar. Season with salt and black pepper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add all of the salad ingredients, except for the feta & pistachio. Add cooled quinoa. Add the dressing and toss to coat.